DHENKANAL: Even as the present day society is being blamed for selfishness and mistrust, a few noble souls from Dhenkanal have taken upon themselves to change the notion. They believe in giving back to the society by contributing their bit through social work and acts of heroism.A social worker in the true sense, Ravindra Kumar Balsamant (71) has been contributing immensely to the welfare of the under-privileged for the last 40 years. He had taken lead in constructing a temple of Lord Shiva at the town’s College Bypass square where rituals and marriages are conducted at affordable cost. Even as booking a mandap can cost up to `30,000, the same can be had for maximum `3,000 at the temple, which charges no fees from the poor.
Another such noble soul is Bhagban Rana, who sustained bullet injuries while thwarting an attempt by some miscreants to snatch a bag containing cash from an elderly person at UCO Bank’s main branch on September 5, 2007. The bullet is still lodged in Rana’s body. The district administration or the bank did not recognise his heroism but that did not deter the braveheart from taking up a job in the district headquarters hospital that involves helping out patients. Rana, who laments not getting a permanent job, gets a pittance for working long hours at the hospital.
Akhilbihari Mohapatra (60), an ex-serviceman, works as a dedicated volunteer at the ECHS polyclinic (meant for retired defence personnel) here. He also teaches English to poor students. Mohaptra says he has been enjoying the art of giving to others for years. Abhaya Kumar Rout (73) also believes in social service. He leads a team of volunteers to identify unidentified dead bodies and cremate them with proper rituals and honour. They also provide food and clothes to the poor. These souls have been contributing to the society on their own and they never brag about it.